My go-to lemon loaf recipe for years! This delicious Glazed Lemon Pound Cake Loaf is always perfectly moist and lemony!
I have been making this same lemon loaf for years. It's my "go to" when only lemon loaf will do. The fact that I've never posted it to this point is simply my belief that maybe the internet didn't really need another lemon loaf recipe. But what the heck. It's good, it's tried and tested (many, many times!) and for anyone who has yet to find their "go to" lemon loaf, it's definitely worthy of consideration.
I suppose lemon loaf is somewhat subjective. What makes this loaf a winner for me is the lovely texture (not too light, not too dense), the perfect level of moistness (not too oily, never dry) and just the right amount of lemon. With this one, the hit of lemon actually comes more from the glaze than the cake, though there is obviously some lemon in the cake. But it's in the lemon glaze that the the perfect balance is struck, so definitely don't skip that.
The final point I love about this loaf, is that it needs only 1 large lemon and pretty much typical pantry and fridge items to make it. That means I'm always stocked to make this one, which has come in handy many times when I needed a little something special to share or gift.
Featured Review: I made this lemon pound loaf today and it tastes incredible! I was worried that it wouldn’t have much lemon taste because of the small amount of lemon juice that goes into the batter. There was no need to worry though, the lemon taste is the star of this loaf. This recipe is pure perfection! - Krista
Cook's Notes
When it comes to baking loaves like this one, there is really just one secret to success. Follow the instructions :) Take it from someone who has (in the past :) skipped certain instructions like "at room temperature", "whisk together well in a separate bowl" and "add alternately" ... yet had what I considered (at the time) to be a reasonably fine result.
It was only when I started following those instructions that I discovered the reason they were there. There's fine and then there's great. I learned I prefer the great, so I am willing to be a bit more organized and patient. It's a small price to pay for great lemon loaf :)
So the moral of that story ... be sure to take your eggs, butter and sour cream out of the fridge 30 minutes before you start baking. Be sure to combine the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a separate large bowl and whisk it together well. You will be rewarded!
This lemon loaf freezes beautifully. Freeze it whole in a freezer bag, or slice it first and freeze it. Slicing first means you can grab a slice when you feel the need, instead of trying to cut/thaw a slice from a frozen whole loaf. To thaw a slice, simply set a frozen slice on the counter on a piece of paper towel and it will be ready to enjoy in 20-30 minutes. To thaw a whole loaf, set on the counter inside the sealed freezer bag until thawed.
Glazed Lemon Pound Cake Loaf
Ingredients
Loaf:
- 1/2 cup butter, salted, or unsalted, at room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 Tbsp lemon zest, from about 1 large lemon
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp table salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 cup sour cream, removed from fridge 15 minutes before using
Glaze:
- 1/2 cup icing/confectioners' sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice, plus more, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F. (not convection bake). Spray an 8x4-inch loaf pan with baking spray and line with a piece of parchment paper that covers the bottom and long sides, with an inch or so extending past the top of the pan (these will be the "handles" to lift the loaf out of the pan).
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar at medium speed (about "4 or 5" on a KitchenAid mixer) until light coloured and fluffy. (Don't skimp on this process. It should cream about 3 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time and beat in well after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl, as needed. Beat in the lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together well the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. With mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the sour cream, starting with 1/3 of the flour, 1/2 of the sour cream, 1/3 of the flour, last of the sour cream, then finally the last of the flour.
- Scrape into prepared 8x4-inch loaf pan and level batter. Bake in preheated oven for 55-60 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then run a knife along the short ends and use the parchment paper edges to lift and remove from pan. Allow to cool on a cooling rack.
- While loaf is still a little warm, prepare the glaze by stirring together all the glaze ingredients in a small bowl, adding enough lemon juice to make a pourable glaze. Place a baking tray under the cooling rack to catch any drips and spoon glaze slowly over top of loaf, allowing it to drip down the sides a bit. Cool completely, then slice and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information provided for general guidance only and should not be relied upon to make personal health decisions.
Aria says
I have been wanting to make this recipe for a while and I was wondering can you use yogurt instead of sour cream?
Jennifer says
Hi Aria, while yogurt will technically "work", it is much lower fat than sour cream, so it will have an effect on the finished loaf in terms of moistness and shelf-life.
Barb P says
I’ve made this recipe several times in the past month and it disappears very quickly each time I make it. It’s very moist and full of lemon flavour!
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Barb :) Thanks so much!
Jan says
Love this recipe. I always double it and it disappears within a day!
Jennifer says
So happy to hear, Jan :) Thanks so much!
Joanne Bergos says
This is a wonderful loaf full of lemon flavour and so moist! Reminds me of the delicious lemon loaf my mother baked growing up. Received many compliments on this.
PS Love your site and all your great recipes!
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it, Joanne! And thanks so much :)
Denis says
You just freeze the loaf glazed. Does the glaze not stick to the freezer bag? I was going to try freezing it then glazing, but it won’t be the same as your recipe indicates to glaze while the loaf is still warm.
Jennifer says
Hi Denis, if you're freezing the whole loaf, I would freeze it unglazed, then glaze after thawing/before serving. The glaze will be fine even if not put on a warm loaf and it will certainly look better that if it's been frozen and thawed.
Mary says
Made this once with lemon and once with orange, both amazing and delicious. Want to make blueberry but without citrus, can I just omit lemon(zest & juice) and add blueberries to the batter? Any advice greatly appreciated
Jennifer says
Hi Mary and so glad you are enjoying it! For just blueberry, you can just omit the zest and replace the juice with an equal amount of milk or water. Let me know how it is :)
Char says
Amazing!!! Love this moist and perfect lemon bread!!!🍋🍋🍋
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Char :) Thanks so much!